Soccer season has begun for the Fall, and I’m surprised that you still have a bad case of coach’s son syndrome carrying over from last season.
Symptoms include: complaining, acting out, and outright defiance.
I hoped it wouldn’t be the case, but at our very first practice you lashed out after a toe touches drill (which isn’t your strong suit) and spent the rest of the hour-long practice rolling around crying and yelling. When you weren’t making distracting sounds, you were lying across the mini goals disrupting the game.
That first practice was unfortunately on the same day that school started, so while you had reason to be exhausted so were the other kids on the team and they did OK. That’s why I have to believe this is a case of coach’s son syndrome. After isolating all of the variables, I’ve determined the clear cause of all of this is having to listen to your Dad in a structured setting after school.
I get it. To all of the other players, I’m just another adult they have to respect, and I give them a break from their parents. I’m a fun coach they get to see twice a week. As for you, this is just on the continuum of our father-son relationship. The reason I get it is because I was once a coach’s son, too, and still am. Nonno is still coaching teams, just not ours. I had a different personality and was a lot more receptive and eager to learn from Nonno whereas you are more independent and want to cut your own path. That’s all fine, and we just need to find the right balance in soccer to help you be a better teammate.
Fortunately, your symptoms improved by our first game. I benched you to start, which you requested so you could watch the flow of the game. When I subbed you in, you had an immediate impact on defense and made some solid stops. You also found passing lanes and eventually scored a long goal from the left flank. Most important of all, you had fun! We came back to practice this week and while you still gave me some attitude, you participated in every drill. That’s far from perfect but much improved.
For some reason, you get a little too serious about soccer. You have strong opinions about how your teammates/friends are talking to you, what drills we’re doing at practice, and what position you’re playing on the field.
As your coach and Dad, my job is going to make sure you remember to have fun. Like with most things, you’re going to be most successful when you’re having fun and just letting the game and your head flow. Tutto passa.
Love,
Dad